There is no friendship out there. When you race, you have to fight. That's it.
Niki Lauda
Millions around the world see Formula One as the pinnacle of motorsport, and I firmly believe that we should do whatever it takes to keep this accolade. Traction control, automatic gear changes, and launch control isn't my definition of the 'pinnacle of motorsport.'
People always think that the worst time of my life must have been after the German Grand Prix crash in 1976, which put me in a coma and left me with severe burns. But it wasn't.
Patience is a virtue in life, of course, but it's not something we F1 people have too much of.
I hate being famous. You have no freedom. You can't do anything.
The alliance with air Berlin is attractive for me. I can use the whole sales network of the air Berlin and 24 percent of my own airline at air Berlin sold.
Vienna is the gate to Eastern Europe.
I don't want to sound like a retrospective person stuck in the past, but the fact remains that, in my day, everything was in the hands of the driver - the gear changes, the delicate art of clutch control during race starts, managing engine revs during gear changes - everything.
I like the mode of business of aviation. It's a risky business with difficulties which you can fill with innovative ideas and different things.
Running an airline is the most difficult job in the world. Racing was more dangerous for my life.
One of the things that gave me most pleasure was a letter sent to me by Sebastian Vettel, written in his own hand, full of beautiful words and kindness. I wasn't expecting this; usually, drivers don't do this: they drive, and that's it. But he is a beautiful person.
Pressure is always on if you don't perform. There is no question.
Cosmetic surgery - it's boring and expensive, and the only thing it could do is give me another face.
When I was in motor racing, I had taken the decision to risk my life. But when you run an airline, and more than 200 people want to go from A to B - and they don't arrive - that's a different responsibility.
I employ 20 people in Vienna. The other 130 coworkers are pilots and flight companions. The Overhead is limited with me. Reduces naturally the costs of my fliers.
Giving up is something a Lauda doesn't do.
We now fly with an airbus, which has 210 seats, six times the week to Palma to the spider of the air Berlin.
I always knew about the risks I was taking. Every year, someone you knew was killed racing. You had to ask yourself, do you enjoy driving these cars so much that you're prepared to take that risk?
In racing, you want to win - there are no rules, and you can do whatever you want. Flying a plane is the opposite: you respect rules and fly to the rules. You can't possibly compare the two.
I've learnt from my life experience.
The idea that people would work on themselves, who hadn't had an accident - I can't stand plastic surgery.
After my accident, I never worried about how I looked.
Running an airline is a normal job. Racing is more.
This aircraft tops everything. All the others look old as compared to this one.
The guest gets at least as much service with us as with some established airline, if not even more. And at by far a favourable price. Thus the passengers remain gladly with us.
The crucial point is always the own cost structure. Therefore I created a Low Cost alliance with air Berlin.
In Germany air became generally accepted Berlin in this area. It operated with 45 airplanes within the Low Cost range from Germany, and is one the most successful carriers in Europe.
I want to bring passengers on my airplanes to present to them my product.
I always go extreme ways.
Airlines go in the long run at the competition to reason. For the passenger the competition is good, because each competitor tries to undercut the other one.
I fought my grandfather like you wouldn't believe. I went my own way and decided to become a racing driver. I don't think I would ever have fought as hard as I did if my grandfather had been a reasonable person.
When, after the accident, I came out into the world and people looked at me, they were shocked. It upset me. I thought they were impolite not to hide their negative emotions about my look.
We have moved away from basic racing, where you see how the drivers fight with the cars to their physical limits and then make mistakes - or not.
There are some good traditions in our culture, one of which is that men dance with women. Soon we will reach the stage where we will all have to publicly apologise for being heterosexual.
My life is worth more than a title.
People say that F1 is blessed with the 'best drivers in the world,' but I want to witness the 'total best drivers in the world,' and this means taking away the elements that make their job easier.
For sure, when you are being beaten by your team-mate, it hurts.
